Vadodara: Yusuf Pathan to mentor young cricketers

VADODARA: Former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan will mentor young players in Vadodara. The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) has roped in Yusuf as the mentor for the cricketers – both senior as well as junior. He will soon join the association and start working with the players.
“The decision to rope in Yusuf was taken by the BCA apex council on Friday.He won’t be charging any fee from the association,” said Shishir Hattangadi, BCA CEO. Yusuf’s role will be to keep an eye on the development of promising and young cricketers.
When asked about the objective behind bringing in Yusuf, Hattangadi said: “He has a lot of international cricket experience. He will train the cricketers in playing smartly on the field, nurture them and also suggest promising players to the BCA.” In February last year, Yusuf had announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
After his retirement, this is the first time that he has been offered a role by the BCA. Elder brother of Irfan Pathan, Yusuf made his international debut in the T20 World Championship in 2007. He went on to play in the one-day international (ODI) in 2008 and also played for different teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The 39-year-old all-rounder has played 57 ODIs and scored 810 runs with the highest score of 123 apart from bagging 33 wickets. In the 22 T20 internationals he played, Yusuf scored 236 runs and got 13 wickets. Yusuf has also played 100 first class matches for Baroda and scored 4,825 runs at an average of 34 and bagged 201 wickets.
“His initial contract will be of one year and it will be reviewed in the next season,” Hattangadi added.